Here are some keywords to success - For now, for later, for life…

To all the Aspire (13^th and 14^th February, 2014) Breakout 2 participants

First of all…Thank you…You guys were such a wonderful audience! and I am sure all of you had something to take back from the session that Janani and me did.

Just wanted to make sure I place some more tips on record so that you will remember it for life.

1.    Relationships: Which many of us know as ‘Networking’ (Remember Networking is close to Not-working J) – So remember this, “Your Network is Your Net worth”.

         What do you need to build good relationships?

a.    Make as many friends as possible

b.    Keep in touch

c.    Remember it is an extra effort. Invest in relationships that will help you.

(No harm in making as many friends…just that you need to keep in touch J)

I heard this from a adventure racer and that changed my perspective towards team work: “At the end of the day, it isn’t what you know that gets you to the finish line, but it is being able to embrace those

around you and work together,” Robyn Benincasa, world-famous and champion adventure racer. 

2.    Be like a sponge (How much water a sponge will absorb, depends wholly on how big the sponge is. On average, a sponge can absorb 100x it's weight, in water. This also depends on how good the sponge is. The message here is how good the sponge is… J)

What do you need to do?

a.    Come in everyday with an eagerness to learn

b.    Be open minded

c.    Practice what you learn

3.    Advertise yourself (Creating your brand)

What do you need to do?

a.    Polish your talking skills (I spoke to some of you over break about how important communication skills are in Deloitte)

b.    Dress to impress – Appearance is important

c.    Flaunt your expertise

4.    Solicit instant feedback (Read it as feed-forwardJ)

What do you need to do?

a.    Identify good and bad behavior

b.    Evaluate actions

c.    Take corrective measures

5.    If you ever don’t know something, remember these three golden words, “Raise your hand”.

Also, remember the Opportunity (Great Library of Alexandria) story, opportunities (warm stones) lie among other thousands of cold stones. Learn to pick them up. Again “Raise your hand”.

6.    All the work that comes to you, sometimes you may like it and sometimes you may not like it. – “Just do it” – Every experience will teach you something new.

7.    Deloitte is a wonderful Firm, too many opportunities to do things that is over and above your normal work. Remember when you do it, all that you do should be, “Inspite of and not instead of” – It means don’t compromise your regular work. Cake is more important than the cherry. If there is no cake, no value for those cherries.

8.    Remember the pot bearer story where the pot bearer created a wonderful garden. “Our unique flaws makes us unique”. Understand work styles and apply them. – “Know yourself, Control yourself”

9.    Excellence is not a skill, it is a prevailing attitude (Remember the Sculptor and Idol story). Excel at a task today not necessarily for others to notice, but for your own satisfaction.

10.  Take Risks in Your Life. If you WIN, you can LEAD. If you LOSE, you can GUIDE.

Convert your Coffee Appointments to long term mentoring relationships.

Like the GOLK game, there are many hidden treasures in Deloitte.  Wishing you all the best in your expedition! As you progress, have fun!

First Five Years

9-Apr-2012

Time just flies…

Today I’ve completed 5 years with Deloitte…5 years since my first day at work….

I distinctly remember, I started on a Good Friday from my hometown and landed up in the City of Pearls (for me it will always be City of Pearls because every time I went home, I carried a bunch of pearl necklaces and that’s how everyone in my family related to Hyderabad)

Thanks to Deloitte…last 5 years was absolutely the brilliant phase of my life, the best anyone can get in their first five years of corporate world.  …Seen all the ups and downs…Like all aspiring and budding professionals, I had set myself timelines, milestones, short-term and long-term goals. Too early to get to those long-term goals but all short-term goals are ticked off both personally and professionally. J

And this is just the beginning. And it feels I’ve been working for ages.

My Journey – 5 Years

Two famous quotes that sum up my journey of 5 years.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new”. - Albert Einstein

This one is from Michael Jordan: I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

I did well so far and I say that because I have made lots of mistakes in this tenure on both professional and personal fronts, but have not succumbed to them. Rather I picked up my learnings and moved ahead.

Thanks to all my mentors who taught me this brilliant lesson…

“Failure is deceptive. If you focus on the failure, it can make you feel that you are doomed. Instead pick up the learning attached to failures. Success is directly proportional to the mistakes  made and the failures, you are able to overcome.”

So it’s time to set new goals. What I need to be doing for the next 5 years, where I see myself going and what I want to be doing. Time for some career introspection!